Teletypewriter tape wiper



April 23, 1940- E. B. MATHEWS 2.198.550

TELETYPEWRITER TAPE WIPER Filed Sept. 20, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG.

- M/VENTOR E. B. MATHEWS A TTORNEV April 23, 1940- E. B. MATHEWS 2.198.550

TELETYPEWRITER TAPE WIPER Filed Sept. 20, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 6

lNl/ENTOR E. B. MATHEWS Zia (Qu flzamk Patented Apr. 23, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TELETYPEWRITER TAPE WIPER Application September 20, 1938, Serial No. 230,883

2 Claims.

This invention relates to telegraph machines for recording intelligence on tape and, more particularly, to means for removing dust and lint from a tape as the tape is unwound from its roll and before it passes through a telegraph machine.

Heretofore, the telegraph machines in general use have not beenprovided with means for removing dust and lint from recording tape before the tape passed through the machines. Consequently, a relatively large amount of dust and lint has been carried into the machines by this tape. In certain cases the amount of dust and lint accumulating in a machine operated for a period of 65 days has been between four and six full tablespoons. Such accumulations of dust and lint are undesirable both from an appearance viewpoint and from a maintenance standpoint. More frequent visits of a maintenance l0 man are necessary because the accumulations, if not removed at frequent intervals, will clog the tape guide tubes and other apparatus in the machines thereby causing improper operation and the printing of errors.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a telegraph machine with a device for removing dust and lint from the recording tape before the tape passes through the machine.

This object is attained by attaching a suitably 30 designed tape wiper to a telegraph machine near the point where the recording tape starts to pass through the machine. Essentially, this tape wiper comprises two pieces of resilient material, such as felt, designed to scrape against both sur- 5 faces of the tape as the tape passes between them. If desired, the pieces of felt can be impregnated with some substance, such as mineral oil, to prevent gummed tape from sticking to the felt during humid weather.

The invention will be more fully described in connection with the following detailed description of the drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a three-dimensional view of a telegraph machine provided with a tape wiper; Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the tape wiper;

Fig. 3 is a side view of the tape wiper;

Fig. 4 is a back view of the tape wiper;

Fig. 5 is an end view of a telegraph machine provided with a modified form of the tape wiper;

Fig. 6 is a side view of this modified tape wiper;

Fig. 7 is a front view of this modified tape wiper; and

Fig. 8 is a top plan view of the modified tape wiper.

55 For explanatory purposes the invention has been shown and will be described as applied tov a telegraph machine of the type described in Patent 1,745,633, granted February 4, 1930, to S. Morton et al. The disclosure of this Morton et al. patent is incorporated herein by reference as a part of this specification. However, it is to be understood that the invention may be used with other forms of telegraph tape recorders and may also be employed with telegraph tape perforatortransmitter machines. In fact, the invention can be used with any device employing a tape which should be kept free from dust and lint.

Fig. 1 is a three-dimensional view of a printing telegraph machine of the type disclosed in Morton et al. Patent 1,745,633 and is shown to comprise a tape reel compartment I having a cut-out portion 2 through which the recording tape 3 emerges. Tape 3 passes between the two pieces of felt 4-4 of the tape wiper and then enters the inside of the teletypewriter by way. of the tape guide tube 5 after which it goes through the tape guide channel 6, over the platen l', and later emerges from the lower left portion of the teletypewriter. Tape 3 is moved along this path of travel by means of the tape feeding means which includes the pressure roller I25 (Fig. 1).

The tape wiper comprises a supporting memher 8 which is bent in a manner best seen in Fig. 3. Member 8 is also bifurcated at one end, as shown in Fig. 2, for enabling it to be attached to the base of the teletypewriter by sliding the bifurcated end under the end of the tape guide tube 5. Afiixed to the other end of member 8 is a small plate 9 having two holes through which pass two bolts Ill-l0.

Mounted upon bolts Ill-l0 is another small plate II also having two holes through which the bolts Ill-I0 pass. Sandwiched between plates 9 and II are the two pieces of felt 4-4 mentioned above. A spring I2 is mounted upon each bolt 10. Each spring I2 is held on its bolt in by a washer l3 and a nut l4. Springs l2-l2 tend to compress the pieces of felt 4-4 so that they will apply a certain degree of pressure to the tape 3 and perform a thorough cleansing operation. The degree of spring tension under which the two pieces of felt 4-4 are clamped together may be varied by adjusting the position of the nuts l4-l4 on bolts ill-l0.

Thus, the tape 3 passes between the two pieces of felt 4-4 which, being clamped together under spring tension, scrape off all dust and lint adhering to both surfaces of tape 3. It is to be noted that the dust and lint particles are removed just before the tape 3 enters inside the teletypewriter. to the front edge of plate II to act as a bafileplate for preventing the dust and lint particles from piling up in front of the spring assembly and then toppling over onto the tape 3 at the point I6 from which point they would be carried inside the teletypewriter. Guard member I5 also prevents the dust and lint, removed from the tape, from clogging the springs I2I2.

A simplified modification of the invention is shown in Figs. 5, 6, 7, and 8. Fig. 6 is a side view of, a teletypewriter of the type disclosed in the above-mentioned Morton et al. Patent 1,745,633 showing the tape reel compartment IUI from which tape I03 passes down between the two pieces of felt IIl4IIl4 of the modified tape wiper. After passing between the pieces of felt IIJ4IM, the tape I03 enters inside the teletypewriter by way of hole I cut in the cover of the teletypewriter.

In this embodiment of the invention, the tape wiper is mounted on the tape tension spring arm Iii, affixed to the tape reel compartment iilI, commonly used with teletypewriters of this type. Secured to arm I2! is a U-shaped bracket I22. The two pieces of felt Hi l-4M are mounted between the sides of bracket i722 on rods I23--I23. The pieces of felt illtiil4 are shown to be cylindrically shaped but they may be made in any other shape desired, such as cubical. It is preferable, but not imperative, that the pieces of felt Il a-I84 be staked with pins 624 to prevent them from turning around on rods 523 as the felts IIl4-IM can scrub tape I83 better if they (the felts Hi l-I04) are held stationary.

As is best seen in Fig. 6, the tape I03 passes over the upper portion of the top piece of felt I04 and then passes under the lower portion of the bottom piece of felt IM. When the tape I03 is drawn inside the teletypewriter by the tape feed mechanism, which includes a pressure roller similar to the presser roller I (Fig. l), a certain amount of tension is exerted on that portion of the tape that is between the two pieces of felt I04IM. This tension causes the tape I 93 to bear firmly against the felts IMIil4 with the result that the top piece of felt I94 scrapes dust and lint from the under surface of tape I03 and the bottom piece of felt I04 wipes off the top sur- A guard member I5 is afiixed face of tape I03. In this manner, tape I 03 is cleaned just before it enters the teletypewriter.

The invention has been described with reference to its preferred embodiment and its preferred application. It is to be understood that the invention may be applied to other devices where a tape or ribbon requires wiping and may be embodied in other modifications than that specifically shown in the drawings. Consequently, the invention is not to be limited to the particular form and use shown and described but is to be limited only by the claims appended hereto.

What is claimed is:

1. A device for removing dust and lint from a tape, said device including a supporting member for supporting the device, a base plate afiixed to said supporting member, tape wiping means comprising a first resilient member mounted on said base plate and a second resilient member superimposed upon said first resilient member, a top plate mounted on said second resilient member, two bolts for holding the two resilient members and the plates in their proper position, one bolt passing through a hole in one end of both the plates and the resilient members, and the other bolt passing through a hole in the opposite ends of the plates and the resilient members, two coiled springs mounted upon the bolts and bearing against one of the plates, two nuts mounted on the bolts for adjustably compressing the springs for adjustably forcing the two resilient members together between the plates, and a baffie plate mounted on the top plate for preventing the dust and lint that is removed from the tape from piling up on the top plate and falling over on to the freshly cleansed tape.

2. A device for removing dust and lint from a tape, said device including a U-shaped bracket,

a plurality of resilient members, a plurality of rods for mounting the resilient members within the arms of the U-shaped bracket in staggered relationship, and control means for compelling the resilient members to bear against the tape for scrubbing said tape, said control means comprising a plurality of pins passing through the arms of the bracket and through the resilient members for restraining said resilient members from rotating on the rods.

ERIC BARRY MATHEWS. 

